SHE'S MY TEDDY BEAR
by d.graslie
Summary: After accidentally walking in on her mother in the bathroom, Avigail is stunned to see that her mommy isn't perfect after all. How does Ziva react? When wanting answers to her questions, Tony explains to his daughter all the joys and complications that's made Ziva the women she is today.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Just incase anyone wants to know, Avigail means "Fathers joy" in Hebrew. **

**I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK**

Tony and Ziva have been married for 3 years and are raising their 6 year old daughter, Avigail together. Enjoying life, work, and play all at the same time and things couldn't get any better. Still, Ziva is finding that hiding her demons from her little girl while trying to protect her from the dangers of the world is getting harder and harder each day.

Ziva was in the bathroom, putting some laundry away when she caught a glipse of herself in the mirror. She was pretty happy with herself now days. All except for the scars that just would not seem to heal and if they were, not quick enough. She lifted up her shirt and ran her hand across her side, and just shook her head when she heard the door open. "Ima, I have to go potty." Avigail said to Ziva. Ziva just jumped, still holding her shirt up when her daughter just stood there and stared. "Ima, what happened?" Walking up to her mom now and Ziva was at a loss for words.

How could she explain these hideous marks all over her body, to her 6 year old daughter? How could she even begin to explain? "Avigail, what are you doing?" Suddenly very scared and defensive. "Ima, what are those?" Walking up to her mommy and reaching her hand out to touch her skin when Ziva just quickly stood back. "I told you to knock!" Avigail was actually scared of her Ima at the moment. She's never heard her so angry with her before. "I'm sorry." Starting to cry. Tony couldn't help but over hear Ziva and their daughter in the bathroom and he knew he had to go in and say something before Ziva really lost her temper.

"What's going on in here?" He asked. Tony picked up his little girld and noticed that she was actually shivering. He just held her close and stared at Ziva. Ziva quickly wiped away some of the tears that had fallen down and Tony knew something was going on with his wife. "Baby, why don't you go and pick out a bedtime story. Daddy will read to you tonight." Speaking softly to his little girl." "Ok, Daddy." Tony gently put her down so she could head to her room and pick out a book.

Tony continued to stare at Ziva with compassion and understanding, even though he still didn't know what made Ziva raise her voice like that. "Ziva, what's going on with you? You've never raised your voice at Avigail like that before." Walking up to put his hands on her shoulders when she just pushed them away. "Do not touch me." Tony just backed off a little but he still wanted to know what was going on with her. "Ziva, what-" "You know what, I need to get some fresh air. I might go visit Abby for a little bit. Just tell Avigail that I am sorry and I will tuck her in later." Walking up to give her husband a little kiss on the cheek before leaving.


	2. Chapter 2

**WHAT HAPPENED TO MOMMY**

Tony headed to his daughter's room who was already tucked into her bed, waiting for her Abba to read to her. Poor thing, he tought. She's probably afraid that even talking will get her into trouble again. She truly didn't do anything wrong and he knew he would have to ask his daughter what made her mommy so upset tonight. He just prayed it was something that could be fixed. "Ok, Baby girl. What have we decided to read?" Slowly sitting down on the ground. He was getting to old for this. Tony noticed his daughter hugging her teddy bear tighter than he's ever seen her hug any of her toys. He was about to read the book she picked out when Avigail finally spoke up. "What happened to mommy?'

Tony just looked at his daughter in confusion and concern. "What do you mean, Avi? What was going on with Ima today in the bathroom? You know you can tell me anything, honey." Running his hand through her soft, curly hair. "Wher did all those marks come from?" Still holding her teddy bear close to her little body. It hit Tony now what his daughter was taliking about. She must of seen all the scars on her mothers body. No wonder Ziva freaked out. In the 6 years that their daughter has been alive, she managed to hide her scars from her daughter and now she has seen them.

Suddenly Tony got an idea for a different kind of bedtime story for his daughter. He just hoped she could handle some of the things that he was going to tell her.


	3. Chapter 3

**AVIGAIL, HOW ABOUT I TELL YOU A DIFFERENT KIND OF STORY TONIGHT**

After spending some time with Abby, Ziva made her way back home. She hated herself for getting after her daughter for just being curious, but she hated herself more for what her daughter had to see. She knew deep down that this conversation would have to happen eventually but not when her daughter was 6 years old. She made her way up the stairs when she heard Tony and their daughter talking. She just quietly walked up to her daughters bedroom and leaned in to listen to her family. "Avigail, how about I tell you a different kind of story tonight. Would that be ok?" She just nodded so sweetly for her daddy.

"I know Ima was a little hard on you tonight and I know that you're not used to her being that way with you. I promise you, honey. Your mommy didn't mean it. She loves you more than anything in this world. More than me." Playing with her daughters hair again. "Did somebody hurt mommy?" He knew his daughter was a smart girl and that she saw soo much more than they wanted to believe and except. "Yeah, a lot of somebody's hurt mommy. They hurt her every day, for 3 months straight." "Why?" "Well, they wanted mommy to tell them some things that she wasn't willing to tell them so they punished her." He wanted to be strong for his little girl but some tears were buiding up in his eyes.

"Why didn't she just tell them what they wanted to know?" Tony just smiled at his daughter and continued to answer her questions. Ziva had sat herself down gainst a wall by her daughters room. Continuing to listen, as well. "Because that would of put me, and everyone else at NCIS in danger and your mommy has such a big heart, she wouldn't let that happen. Daddy wanted nothing more than to bring your Ima back to him but he didn't know where she was" Tears ran down Ziva's face now. "Did you miss mommy when she was gone?" "Yeah sweetie, I missed mommy very, very much." He wanted to help his daughter understand how he felt and that's whey he noticed her hugging her teddy bear.

"You know when you loose teddy for a few days and you think that you'll never see him again?" "Yeah." "Well, that's how I felt when I lost your mommy. All I could think about was where she could be and if she was ok. I didn't know if I would ever see her again. She is my teddy bear." Playing with the bears arm, just staring at his daughter now. She had no idea how it felt to lose somebody she loved. That the pain of being away from the person you loved was 50 times harder than loosing your childhood teddy bear. "But you know what?" "What?" "Those scars are healing and they will continue to heal faster because of you and me, you know why?" "No, why?" "Because we love your mommy soo much and she feels that love everyday. We are helping her heal." "Yeah." Smiling up at her daddy. "Ok, Baby girl. Lights out." Getting up and kissing his daughter a couple times on her head. "I love you, sweetheart. Mommy loves you, too." "I love you and Mommy too, Daddy."

He just stared at her for the longest time before he shut off the lights and headed quietly out of her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**I NEED YOU RIGHT NOW**

Tony walked out of his daughters room and instantly started to unbutton his work shirt. After talking to his daughter about his feelings for her mother, he wanted nothing more than to make love to her and he knew that, that was exacly what she needed right now. Unaware that she was even back home, he just wanted to be ready for her when she got back. He was shocked to see her sitting next to their daughters room. He got the biggest smile on his face when he saw her. "Hey." Walking up to Ziva who just looked up at him, tears still running down.

"Hey Baby, come here." Holding his arms out as Ziva quickly got up and went to him. She needed her husband more than anything right now. "I am soo sorry I left. I just couldn't face her,Tony. I couldn't." Clinging to her husband now. "Shhh, it's ok. I'm right here." Holding her close. They just stood there, holding each other for the longest time when Tony looked into his wife's brown eyes. "Come on. I need you right now." Taking her hands and walking her to their bedroom. She just smiled as he did so.

After some time doing what he loved to do to Ziva, he knew that she needed to talk, he just wanted her to feel loved before the tough conversation started. "Hey there, Casanova. You can come up for air. I climexed 20 minutes ago." Pulling her husband on top of her, getting him to look her in the eyes.

"You know I love being down there." Winking at her as she just smiled at him. Tony got serious now which was always hard for him. "You know our daughter will love you no matter how many scars are on this body." Kissing Ziva gently on the lips now. "I know. I just wanted to hide this from her for as long as I could. Tony, if she saw these scars when she's 20 years old it would be too soon." Tears ran down her face again as Tony bent down and kissed each eye, slowly. "Salty?" Looking up at him and winking.

"As strong of a person that I know I am, those scars will always make me feel weak. They will always remind me that I wasn't strong enough to fight them off. That I was captured alive." Shanking her head in disgust with herself. "Ziva, look at me." And she did just that. "They may have taken 3 months away from you but they did not win. He's dead, Ziva and you still have a beautiful life that they could not take away from you. Now that is one strong, beautiful, caring, fighting women if you ask me." Ziva just kissed him with all the passion that was in her at that very moment. Her husbands words were more than she deserved. He had soo much faith in her. Way more than she could ever have in herself.

"I just want want her to start believing that if these things could happen to her Ima, what's stopping them from happening to her. I'm telling you this right now, Tony. I would rather take my little girl out of this world my own way before she would ever have to experience one hour of what I went through." "Ziva..." Kissing her a few more times. "Our daughter is happy, healthy, and safe for right now and I'm sorry that I don't know what's going to happen in our daughters future but one thing I will promise you, she will always have us to protect her. We're here now and she is safe and sleeping in that room. Please, try and go to bed to that." Ziva just shook her head, letting her husband know that she heard every word that he just said. The future was unsure, everyone's future was unsure but they were safe now and that's all that mattered.


End file.
